Degree earners learn about the importance of place during graduate commencement

By Chuck Gordon

On a sunny, cool morning under the oaks on the Academic Quad, Tracy Dodson had some good news for graduate and professional students earning degrees today from Wingate University.

"We are the second-largest job producer in the country," she said of the Charlotte region. "Last year, there were more than 37,000 new jobs created here. For you all, that's pretty exciting."

One hundred thirty-seven students in a range of graduate and professional disciplines were eligible to walk today (some will officially graduate in August). Graduates earning master's and doctoral degrees in business, education, sport science and the health sciences heard about the prospects for employment locally from Dodson, chief operating officer and head of economic development for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.

Dodson tempered her career-oriented advice with plenty of tips on how to be vocationally happy and content - much of it about finding the right place to put down roots.

Tracy Dodson

"Do work you love in a place that you love," she said. "Work in a place that allows you to be plural in your ambitions. I have taken many detours in my career. … Seek out the places that allow you to be curious and to pivot."

Taking care of your community and finding non-work-related meaning in life is important too, Dodson said.

"Do your best work, but also look for ways to grow and engage outside of work," she said. "Build relationships that outlast roles. Titles change faster than values. Be the person who shows up for your community, who remembers names."

Among the graduates receiving degrees today were 20 in the University's initial master of social work cohort. The largest contingent of degree-earners came from the School of Pharmacy and the School of Sport Sciences, with 27 eligible to walk from each today, followed by those earning master of business administration (22) and doctor of occupational therapy (16) degrees.

Angela Saber, from Charlotte, earned her doctor of pharmacy degree after a six-year stint at Wingate that included two years of undergraduate work and four years in the pharmacy program. "It's surreal," she said. "I've been with Wingate since 2020. We were the Covid class. I came in when Covid was at its peak."

Public health was certainly in the news during Saber's first few years at Wingate, and a year into her pharmacy curriculum, Wingate started a public health program, offering bachelor's and master's degrees. Saber decided to tack on a master of public health degree too.

Now she plans to eventually work for the United States Public Health Service, serving minority populations as a pharmacist. She says she believes that the public health degree will help her be a better pharmacist.

"I started to realize how patient care can be so holistic and comprehensive with a background in public health," she says. "It's one thing telling patients to take the medication, but what's going on in the background that could be a barrier? Can the patient access their medication? Can they afford their medication? What barriers do they have to care?"

Sydney Baker also earned a master of public health degree today, and she is now a two-time Wingate graduate, having earned her bachelor's degree in psychology in 2023. Baker said that, as program and events manager for the Union County Chamber of Commerce, she got puzzled looks when she told people she was getting a master's in public health. But she said the degree dovetails pretty well with her current role.

"Every time we are connecting with member small businesses to see the challenges they are facing," she said, "it allows me to gear our programming, our events, to be more intentional and make sure they are actually focused on those issues."

Baker, originally from High Point, might not be finished with schooling. In the long term, she plans to earn a master's in clinical mental health counseling and possibly run her own clinic. The first cohort in Wingate's master of clinical mental health counseling program started in August.

Michael Martin earned his master's in education in educational leadership (K-12) on Friday. A history and civics teacher at Queen's Grant High School, a charter school in Mint Hill, Martin said he was ready to assume more responsibility, and Wingate's online program has helped put him in position to do that.

"Honestly, I didn't think I would ever be interested in it," said Martin, who has 17 years of teaching experience under his belt, including a decade in New Jersey. "I've enjoyed my time in the classroom, but as time goes on, sometimes you get to a point in your career where you'd just like to do something else. After almost 20 years, I'm ready for a new challenge and a new phase in my career just for some variety.

"I have a desire to make change, and it's hard to make change without being in a decision-making capacity."

Among the students who received their doctor of occupational therapy (OTD) degrees was Samantha Xavier, a native of Greenville, S.C., who earned her bachelor's degree from Clemson University.

"When I went to tour Wingate, it felt like a mini-Clemson," she said. "It felt very homey, familiar in a way, and I thought, I can see myself thrive here."

Wingate's proximity to Charlotte served Xavier well when it came time to do her capstone, a culminating experience required of all OTD students. Xavier is interested in taking occupational therapy into the realm of professional sports, and she did her capstone with the Charlotte Independence soccer team. She worked with the players on the mental-health aspect of training and playing, such as overcoming the fear of injury, and on improving their sleep habits in order to improve their performance.

"A lot of these guys have small kids and a wife, and honestly kids can disturb their sleep," she said. "I helped them get on a routine sleep pattern, build those healthy habits to not only be a great father and husband but to optimize their performance on the field."

Liz Crain, another Clemson graduate who received her Wingate OTD degree today, stayed a little closer to Wingate for her capstone. Crain, from Fort Mill, S.C., worked on life skills with students in the University's Julia's Learning program. In Julia's Learning, students with intellectual and developmental disabilities live, work and study on the Wingate campus.

Crain created Cooking Club, in which Julia's Learning students plan, prep and cook meals.

"There's a lot more behind-the-scenes work that goes into it," she said. "Your brain has to sequence what order you're going to do your steps in, and then you have to follow multistep directions, and then there's teamwork and social skills."

The other part of her capstone involved creating an eight-module training program for Bulldog Buddies - the Wingate students who work closely with Julia's Learning participants.

Crain said she could see the Julia's Learning students' confidence grow as the weekly Cooking Club went on.

"It went from being very directed to being very self-directed," she said, "and the students were telling me what they wanted to cook."

The director of the program Crain and Xavier just spent three years in was honored today for her dedication to research and presenting that research to others. Dr. Melissa Sweetman was presented with the Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award.

Dr. Brett MacLennan, associate professor of physical therapy, was presented with the Graduate Faculty Member of the Year Award, presented annually in recognition of exemplary teaching, scholarship, service, leadership and mentoring.

Undergraduate commencement will be held on Saturday at 9 a.m. in the Academic Quad.

Dr. Melissa Sweetman holds her Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award, flanked by Dr. Rhett Brown, president, and Dr. Laura Hunt, provost.

May 8, 2026